News

Consultation on cremation following infant cremation inquiries

2 March 2016

The Ministry of Justice have today launched a consultation on cremation. It seeks views on proposals for a number of changes to the Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008, and for improving other aspects of cremation practice.

The consultation follows the Government’s consideration of the recommendations of two inquiries into infant cremations:

• David Jenkins’ inquiry into the way infant cremations were carried out at Emstrey Crematorium in Shropshire between 1996 and 2012. David Jenkins’ June 2015 report established that during this period Emstrey Crematorium failed to obtain ashes to return to parents following infant cremations.
• Lord Bonomy’s Infant Cremation Commission (ICC). Lord Bonomy’s June 2014 report found that in some Scottish cases parents had been incorrectly told that there had been, or would be, no ashes from their babies’ cremations.

A majority of the 12 Emstrey report recommendations were for the Government, including that we should consider the ICC’s 64 recommendations. This consultation therefore considers all of the Emstrey and ICC recommendations.

In writing the consultation document the Ministry of Justice has worked with the Department of Health, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as the Human Tissue Authority and the Welsh and Scottish Governments.

The consultation document and details on how to respond are available here

If you require a copy of your consultation response please submit it to coroners@justice.gsi.gov.uk using the word document questionnaire that is available on the consultation webpage, rather than via the on-line questionnaire.

The consultation will close on 9 March 2016, so please submit your response by then in order for the MOJ to be able to consider it.

Following the consultation the MOJ will consider the responses we have received and will publish a consultation response next year.